THE TAOISEACH has said he would be "appalled" if Mr Bertie Ahern now went ahead with his planned meeting with Mr Gerry Adams, and has called on Sinn Fein to cut all links with the IRA.
In a withering and emotional condemnation of the republican movement last night, Mr Bruton accused it of deliberately setting out to destroy efforts to reach political accommodation.
Echoing his words, the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, said: "It is difficult to interpret this latest attack as anything but a signal that Sinn Fein and the IRA are not interested in peace and democracy and prefer violence. There is obviously no question of a further meeting with Sinn Fein in these circumstances."
After a meeting between Mr Bruton and Mr Blair here last night, both men demanded that Sinn Fein end all connection with the IRA. If there were divisions within the republican movement, said Mr Bruton, "it's time for those who want a peace deal to remove themselves from any connection with those carrying out these actions".
Mr Bruton poured scorn on Mr Adams's statement that the killings "diminish all of us" as another attempt by the republican movement to exhaust the dictionary to find a way of distancing themselves from their horrible deeds. "They have ransacked the dictionary to find new words in order to avoid condemning this brutal murder. For him to say that this diminishes us all is the height of hypocrisy. I reject his use of these weasel words to evade his responsibility.
"The republican movement as a whole has responsibility for these acts. As long as the republican movement fails to distance itself from the perpetrators of these acts, they are taking responsibility for these acts.
Echoing his call, Mr Blair demanded that Mr Adams condemn the killings outright, "with no hesitation and no weasel words".
Mr Bruton said: "There are five children today who have no father anymore, and all this has been done in the name of so called politics, to achieve a political objective. These things don't happen by accident, they don't occur because of the activities of a maverick group.
"The IRA operates in a calculated way ... this, is a very thoroughly organised movement. They have a political wing and a military wing and they operate to the same agenda. They always have, and to believe otherwise is a myth.
"The only acceptable reaction from Sinn Fein is to cut all links with the IRA and to say that it politically disavows the activity of the IRA." The Government's posit ion remained that meetings be tween officials and Sinn Fein should only be authorised "if there is an imminent prospect of ceasefire and a meeting with officials can serve a purpose in turning that prospect into a reality".
The president of Sinn Fein, Mr Adams, described Mr Bruton's remarks as a "personalised attack", adding: "While it is disappointing that Mr Bruton responds in this way, invective is no substitute for political leadership."
The SDLP leader, Mr Hume, and deputy leader, Mr Mallon, will meet Mr Ahern in Dublin today.